11 children hospitalised for malnourishment in Varanasi

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11 children hospitalised for malnourishment in Varanasi


Express News Service

Posted online: Tuesday, June 03, 2008 at 0249 hrs IST

Varanasi, June 02
A day after two-year-old Shahabuddin of Dhannipur village died due to malnutrition, 11 more malnourished children were admitted at the Varanasi District hospital on Sunday evening.

The 11 children from Dhannipur village include Sabina (5), Shalmin (3), Gulfam (4), Nur Mohd (3), Soni (3), Imran (3), Ahmad Raza (2), Israq (2), Gulfam (4 months), Shahid (4 months) and Nur-ul-Hasan (6 months).

Chief Medical Superintendent of District Hospital, A P Singh said some of the 11 children were suffering from protein-energy malnutrition, while others were suffering from other diseases.

Human rights activists led by PVCHR convener Lenin Raghuvanshi, meanwhile, begged alms as a symbolic protest against malnutrition in weaver-dominated areas of Lohta.

"We begged Rs 402 from shops outside the district hospital for the children in the hospital," said Raghuvanshi.

"We will not let the children fall prey to malnutrition just like Shahabuddin," said Raghuvanshi claiming that he has started requesting funds online to help the children from Monday.

"An NRI lawyer, Parul Sharma, in Sweden has immediately contributed Rs 5,000 towards this cause," said Raghuvanshi.

Earlier, Varanasi District Magistrate A K Upadhyaya had visited Dhannipur village on Sunday after Shahabuddin's death.

Chief Medical Officer Abdul Halim, however, denied that a two-year-old had died due to malnutrition. According to him, he fell prey to pneumonia.